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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

.. it's getting all technical now. I thought CHROOT was to put somebody in jail (So my son told me!) So that my user SSH123 only had access to the folder xyz. I've got debian lenny and the package manager offers me 1 million tools to do the job, which one do I go for?

1. chroot temporarily eg when fixing up a broken system from the linux rescue mode
2. setting up a chrooted env permanently for a given user or process eg bind (DNS server) is usually setup that way these days.
See 16.1.3 http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_boo...5_ch-bind.html for an example.

Ludo -- While using the CHROOT command is *extremely simple*, setting up a chroot-jail is a little more complex.

That said, having read the whole page you linked to, my opinion is that the instructions there are *very* good, and if you take the time to read the page and understand what they're telling you to do, you can do it

Note: it's just a personal thing of mine, but in regards to the section about needing to patch the sshd to accomplish one of the methods described, I don't like it. For the same reason that I prefer my kernel to be the way it is presented by kernel.org -- unpatched! The way I see it, if the developers figure it needs to be patched, then it *would* be patched already when it's released as stable. Again though, this is just my feeling on such things.

If you want to set up a chroot jail for ssh, read that page, follow the examples; take your time! And if/when there's something you don't grasp, well, that's why you're here (why we're all here) -- someone will help you out.

That article seems to be specifically talking about the difficulties of setting up an ssh server in a chrooted environment, not setting up a chrooted environment itself. Setting up a chrooted environment is pretty easy. Are you wanting to set up an ssh server in a chrooted environment? If so, how many users are you trying to support? If you are this new to Linux and the concept of a chroot, I'm guessing you probably don't even need an ssh server, but I could be wrong.

Ok dokey GrapefruiTgirl, why does the page I refered to have an "easy way" of doing what I require (sorry forrestt your wrong. I need SSH server and a jail for just a few users) and a "hard way" of achieving the same task!

My ever so simple question is "what is the right way to do it?"
I'm quite happy to dive in and experiment, but asking advice from other users that have "been to linux hell and back" makes much more sense to me